By Adem Salvarcioglu
ANKARA (AA) – At least one person has died of bird flu in Vietnam, the Xinhua news agency said Thursday.
Virus H5N1 was detected in the post-mortem blood tests of the 60-year-old victim who died Thursday in Ho Chi Minh City, Xinhua reported, citing provincial health officials.
In a statement, Pasteur Institute said six separate H5N1 cases have been identified in Vietnam's south.
The H5N1 virus case in the country was last seen in 2009. In 4 months, 9,000 cases were reported, and about 20 people had lost their lives.
The bird flu — which has caused 454 deaths worldwide since 2003 — can be transmitted to local poultry stocks through migratory birds, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Humans can reportedly become infected by the virus by eating infected poultry.
